Love In A Puff for Summer and Fall Weddings

One of the things we celebrate at weddings is LOVE! So I am always excited when I can add something tangible to the bridal bouquet that is a reminder of Love. For summer and fall weddings that tangible something has been Love In A Puff.

It's a sweet little vine, with a very cute name, and it is a delicate accent that can be used in both the bridal bouquet and as well as other designs.

The balloon puffs look enchanting in the way they dance around the design.

And the smile on a bride's face when she sees what is inside those little puffs is priceless!

Dahlia! A Most Lovely Wedding Flower!!!

Spring is finally underway! And while I am watching for spring flowers, I am also getting ready for summer and fall. I pulled out my first batch of dahlia tubers this week and have started potting them up.

A favorite for weddings is the Cafe Au Lait Dahlia, and I am so looking forward to growing this beauty again this year. While the blooms are not dinner plate size, but they are large- a good 6-8" in diameter.

It was great to have it for several weddings last year, and I am looking forward to using it again this August and September!

Another favorite dahlia of mine is Snoho Doris.This is a ball variety with petals that are peachy pink. It pairs well with blush as well as stronger orange hues. It should start blooming in August and hopefully will keep it up through late October!

Cotton Bolls and Gingko Leaves for a Lovely Fall Bouquet

Katie and Jon wanted a softer color palette for their November wedding. One that included creams, olive greens, ivories and accents of gold. 

And textural elements that would be nestled within the flowers. Katie wanted cotton bolls. I had purchased some through my wholesaler, but days before the wedding my husband came home from work with gleanings fresh from a farmer friend's field.

Other textural elements such as dried nigella pods from late spring and creamy beige stems of Sweet Everlasting gathered in September were included as well. A collar of rich, dark leaves of Fragrant Tea Olive (Osmanthus fragrans) encircled her bouquet and provided a delicate scent.

Boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen featured versions of these elements as well as white gomphrena blooms, (picked just before our first frost).

Since gold was an accent color for the wedding,  I called Katie at the last moment to see about adding some to her flowers...

She thought that would be fine. So Gingko leaves picked earlier in the week from a nearby tree were gilded and placed into her bouquet.

Sometimes the garden gatherings are not abundant, but that makes them even more special. I would love to help Katie learn to grow some of these flowers some day... And show Jon the perfect spot to plant a Fragrant Tea Olive of their own!!!

Wooden Boxes for Centerpiece Designs

My husband Wilson made some wooden boxes a couple of years ago for our daughter's wedding, and I have loved designing with them ever since.

So whenever I see boxes at a thrift shop or flea market, I grab them up. They are the perfect containers for couples who want to bring a rustic elegance to their reception designs. 

These centerpiece arrangements created for a summer bridal shower were filled with flowers from the garden such as Queen Ann's Lace, Lamb's Ear, Love-in-a-Puff vine, Mountain Mint, zinnias, dahlias and more.

Below is a sewing machine box filled with zinnias and black-eye Susans for an inspiration shoot by Blest Photography.

And for the foodie- kale, purple hull crowder peas, and pattypan squash add a playful touch to this fall design.

More Love-In-A-Puff Wedding Designs

The Love-In-Puff vines at Springwell Gardens will continue to produce lots of lovely tendrils and balloon-like puffs until frost. They are slated to make an appearance at several weddings in October.

They are lovely for bouquet work, but they work great in centerpiece designs. 

Delicate vines swirling in and around flowers with the  glowing green puffs hovering about.

And what happens when you open up one of those little puffs- It's fun to watch the look on a bride's face when she realizes what she sees- The little black seeds say it all....

Coming Soon- Dahlias for Summer and Fall Weddings!

The first shipment of dahlia tubers came last week!

This year there will be several new varieties of Karma Dahlias as well as others that should do well with NC summertime temperatures. Because space is limited I will only be growing them in three of the garden beds.

You can expect to see rich chocolate red, fuchsia, deep pink, peach, coral and soft creamy blush.  These lush blooms look stunning in garden-styled bouquets as well as the more formal rounded bouquet, and are great in centerpiece designs!

Bloom time should start in mid June, but I am hopeful that the Karma Prospero Dahlias (which are a lovely pink) will be blooming in time for a late May wedding... It's a wait and see.

Last year the Karma dahlias kept cranking out wonderful blooms throughout the summer, but most of the others took a break during the July and early August. Dahlias really shine in the garden from mid September through late October- just in time for autumn weddings!

Amaranthus for Summer and Fall Weddings

Amaranthus caudatus adds a lovely cottage charm to summer and fall wedding bouquets and designs.

I have grown the long draping ropes commonly known as Love-Lies-Bleeding for a few years, but have settled on a more compact hybrid offered by Johnny's Selected Seeds called Opopeo.

The shorter drape of the flower spikes make a lovely statement in wedding bouquets as shown in these two images by Erica Serrano Photography.

Seeds will be sown in March, and the flowers will start making their appearance from July through October. It looks great with other traditional summer flowers such as zinnias and dahlias.

I like to pinch out the topmost flower as this will produce more lateral flower stems. I am planning to use these beauties for a mid October wedding and hopefully one in August too!

Beautiful, Bold Dahlias and Zinnias for Kelsey and Eddie

It's so exciting to see the vision for wedding flowers come to life!

When I first met with Kelsey and her mom, Ellen, I learned that the color palette would be bold- very bold. Strong reds, golden yellows, electric blues, touches of coral-peach, bright oranges, and purples that would look stunning against the royal blue bridesmaids dresses. 

The flower choices included lots of garden varieties in keeping with the rustic atmosphere of Snipes Farm. Garden picks included Love-in-a-Puff pods and vines, scented geranium, Sweet Annie, peach dahlias, Karma Chocolate dahlias, orange crested celosia and peach, yellow and red zinnias.
Blue delphinium, orange and yellow spray roses that came from my wholesaler added the finishing touches to the bouquets and the cute centerpiece designs- collections of bottles, jars and vases nestled within picture frames (Ellen's idea) on burlap runners. 

 Everything was coming together beautifully when I left. The guests were arriving and the atmosphere was exciting!!! I heard from Ellen that a great time was had by all.

Kelsey and Eddie- I am so happy for you both! Praying God's blessing as you begin your marriage!!!

Vibrant Colors for Teresa and Ben's Fall Wedding

 

It's so exciting to have that first meeting with my bride. I can't wait to hear about her fiancé and how they met, to see pictures of her wedding gown and the bridesmaids' dresses, and talk and talk about wedding flowers.

 I met Teresa last April- she and Ben were planning an October wedding- late October when autumn leaves are vibrant. Teresa wanted the colors for her wedding flowers to be vibrant too!  Saturated hues of orange, plum and burgundy to play against the bridesmaids' dresses of rich plum. And for her bouquet- a flirty ostrich feather collar to match the ostrich feather embellishments on her gorgeous gown and birdcage veil.

   And of course she looked absolutely stunning!

Table centerpieces were collections of vintage vases and bottles and jars that Teresa had gathered and decorated with burlap and lace. Each filled with a posy of flowers and herbs. 

Ben wanted something different for the boutonnieres for the men in the wedding party. So we went with purple gomphrena and horsetail reeds, and for his bout- an ostrich feather to match Teresa's gown.

It was a joyful celebration.

And now it's time for happily ever after. Praying God's blessing for you newlyweds!!!
PS
Be sure to check out more great pictures of this wonderful wedding at Windy Peak Photography

Cafe Au Lait Dahlias and Amnesia Roses for Mary and Brad's Wedding

They're coming home tonight from their honeymoon- home to a new way of life- my daughter, Mary, and her husband, Brad, are now newlyweds!

So many folks were involved in helping pull things together for their wedding- friends, brothers, aunts and uncles...
 Brad's Mom, Terry, put together a WONDERFUL dessert table with 500 individual, homemade, very yummy little cheesecakes- they were incredible!!!
Wilson was the behind the scenes man, setting up the arbor for the ceremony and making OODLES of wooden boxes for centerpiece designs.
 I even had boutonniere help from Mary's sister, Natalie, and of course my friend, Sandy, came over to help with the flowers as well.
The flowers.. Mary would send me a link or put images on Pinterest to give me ideas of what she and Brad liked. Soft muted colors, her favorite flower- Amnesia roses, and to humor me- something from my gardens. I joked with her last April... "I'm planting these Cafe Au Lait Dahlias just for your bouquet..."
I was so excited the Lord gave me some beautiful blooms to pick from !

 Brad and Mary wanted to use succulents for the boutonnieres. Here are a couple of images of Natalie's creations.

We used Wilson's wooden boxes for many of the centerpiece designs.

And filled them with Amnesia roses, eucalyptus, Majolica spray roses, hydrangeas and wax flowers.
A great "do ahead" were some of the small wooden boxes filled with succulents.

Hopefully some of these babies will keep on growing in their new potted homes.
All in all it was a crazy, wonderful time.

 And now the new chapter is about to begin... Brad and Mary, I am praying God's blessing for you as you begin your wedded life... Love, Mom